Questions regarding the "permit" of African Lodge No. 1

[MasonicAdept]

Questions for Discussion:

According to historical accounts and more specifically the letter of Prince Hall to William Moody, African Lodge received a permit from John Rowe, Provincial Grand Master of the St. John's Prov. Grand Lodge in Boston.

Search of the records of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, no record of the permit could be found in the records held by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Nevertheless, credibility is given to the permit based on Prince Hall's word.

Do you believe that the permit "legitimized" African Lodge prior to the reception of the Charter from the Premier Grand Lodge of England?

Could African Lodge be considered a Lodge under the permit?

Is there a precedence of such type permits issued to other petitioning Masons looking to become a Lodge?

Was the permit, without formal recognition or affiliation with African Lodge be considered a means of acknowledging the "problem of Negro Masonry" without ACCEPTING THEM INTO THE CRAFT?

Could this have been the reason Prince Hall chose to go DIRECTLY through a Lodge in England (Brotherly Love No. 55) rather than working through the Provincial Grand Lodge in Boston, under the Grand Lodge of England (Modern)?

 

[MasonicAdept]

Key document in understanding the permit on the outlook of African Lodge and Prince Hall regarding its power, is the letter written by Prince Hall to Peter Mantore, March 22, 1792.

Prince Hall understood the difference between the two...

 

[MasonicAdept]

The above letter is transcribed by William H. Upton in his article, Prince Hall's Letter Book, in Volume 13 (1900) of the AQC (pg. 62)

TWO very important points in this letter is Prince Hall's concern that the Brothers in Philadelphia received their degrees in a "just and lawful manner".

The second is the assurance of Prince Hall that the Brothers there would receive a "FULL WARRANT instead of a PERMIT".

Prince Hall had learned from experience...